The Ministry Gifts
Ephesians 4:7-8 - But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”
Ephesians 4:11-16 - And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Just as the human body has five senses for its protection and care, God has provided five ministry gifts for the protection and care of the body of Christ.
The five-fold ministry resulted from Christ’s ascension to heaven. These gifts were released by Christ during His ascension and are therefore also known as the ascension gifts. The full expression of the ministry of Jesus requires the full 5-fold ministry to be in operation.
Each office of the five-fold ministry carries its own distinct anointing and has its own individual work.
These ministries are given to the body of Christ as a gift.
No one can appoint another person into these offices. The ministry gifts are appointed by God and not by the choice of men.
Christ is the head of His church and it is He alone who determines who is called into any of the five-fold gifts.
All five ministry gifts are needed in equipping the saints, for the perfecting of the saints and for the edifying of the body of Christ.
It is the combined task and function of all five of these ministry gifts to bring the body of Christ into unity by working together. The five-fold ministry gifts were given to equip the saints for service and are to be active until that job is complete and the body of Christ comes to maturity.
When Jesus was on earth He expressed all five of these ministry gifts.
1. Apostle
Hebrews 3:1 - Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.
Jesus was the Sent One, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. He is the One whom we confess.
2. Prophet
Matthew 21:11 - So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
Jesus functioned fully in the five-fold office of a prophet. Since it is Jesus who has given this gift to the body of Christ, the prophet should manifest the same qualities that Jesus displayed.
3. Pastor
John 10:11 - I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
Jesus was the good Shepherd which is the same word for pastor in the Greek translation.
4. Evangelist
Luke 4:18 - The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor.
Jesus was an evangelist and preached the gospel of the Kingdom.
5. Teacher
Matthew 9:35 - Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues.
Jesus spent a large portion of His ministry teaching and explaining Scripture from the age of twelve.
The hand of God
The five-fold ministry represents the hand of God working in the church today. The fingers of the hand symbolically represent the five-fold ministry that God sets up within the church.
1. The thumb represents the apostle
The apostle is the thumb because it is the only finger that can touch all the others and enables us to grip. It therefore establishes and brings order to the other ministries.
2. The forefinger represents the prophet
The forefinger or index finger is the one that points, shows the way and directs. The index finger represents the prophet who points the way and warns.
3. The middle finger represents the evangelist
The middle finger stands out from among the rest and reaches out to save the lost. It is the longest and besides the thumb the strongest finger and is supported on all sides by the other fingers.
It has the longest reach of all the fingers and can reach out the furthest to hook in and draw in others into the palm of the hand, where the whole hand clasps them and ministers to them.
4. The ring finger represents the pastor
The ring finger represents the pastor, because that finger is associated with love, caring, and faithfulness.
The pastor is symbolically married to the sheep and is always with them. This symbolizes the marriage between Christ and the church.
5. The little finger represents the teacher
The little finger balances the rest of the hand and represents the teacher.
It is the smallest finger, the shortest and thinnest, and the only one small enough to clean out the ears.
The little finger is almost separate from the rest of the hand, but is perfectly placed on the outer edge of the hand to catch those who are falling out of the palm of the hand. It is very important and is often needed to bring people back into the hand.
If the little finger lets go the grip is severely weakened. Though seemingly small and insignificant, the little finger is designed specifically for digging into inaccessible places.
6. Relationship between each
The apostle works best with the prophet. The index finger is closest to the thumb. The apostle and prophet work closely together and form the foundational ministries.
The index finger is closest to the middle finger. The Prophet works closely with the evangelist as well.
Foundational ministries
Ephesians 2:20-22 - Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
The apostles and prophets are the two foundational ministries in the body of Christ.
Jesus revealed Himself to be the cornerstone of the church and continues to build it through His apostles and prophets.
1 Corinthians 12:28 - And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets…
Apostles are the first and prophets are second among the ministries in building the church of God because they lay a foundation of understanding concerning the mystery of Christ.
Unfortunately, these are the two ministries that are least recognized in the church today. God is bringing order back to His church and is fully restoring the ministry of the apostles and prophets.
Without the ministry of apostles and prophets the revelation of the blueprint necessary for the building is incomplete.
The prophet works closely with the apostle as they lay a foundation and bring strength and order to the body of Christ. God has given His grace to apostles and prophets to receive a revelation of His mysteries and to reveal them to the body.
When we look at the current state of the church, it is clear that it needs to make significant foundational shifts and changes. It is evident that the ministry gifts of the pastors, evangelists, prophets, and teachers are active in the church today. When we make a comparison of where the church should be headed in terms of its maturity and unity, the office of the apostle has not been fully restored to the church. The bride of Christ can only prepare for the Bridegroom once all five of these anointing are fully active.
